SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Senior guard Tyresa Smith (right) scored a career-high 28 points while senior forward Chrissy Fisher added 22 as the University of Delaware women's basketball team posted its first win over a ranked opponent in school history with an 86-70 win over No. 20 Kentucky Friday night in the first round of the Odwalla Classic hosted by the University of San Francisco.

The Blue Hens trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but outscored the Wildcats 47-28 in the second period to record the first victory in 22 tries over a top 25-ranked team.

Smith led the Hens, who improved to 3-1 on the season, by hitting 10 of 16 shots from the field. Fisher, the reigning CAA Player of the Week, scored 17 of her 22 points in the second half while junior forward Courtney Irving tallied 11 points and six rebounds.

Delaware started the game quickly by jumping out to a 6-0 lead before Kentucky, which dropped to 2-2 on the year, stormed back to tie the game at 14-14 after consecutive three-pointers from Jenny Pfeiffer and Carly Ormerod. The Wildcats took their first lead on their next possession as Samantha Mahoney scored a bucket and converted the free throw after being fouled.

Kentucky continued to dominate the first half, outscoring Delaware 25-12 to take its largest lead of the game at 42-31 with 2:13 left in the half. Wildcats center Sarah Elliott scored 17 of her team-high 26 points in the first half, while Jenny Pfeiffer recorded nine of her 11 points in the first half by draining three three-pointers.

The Hens closed the gap over the final 2:31 of the half though as they outscored Kentucky 8-0 to pull to within three at 42-39 going into the break.

Tyresa Smith had 14 of her 28 points in the half and passed Merel van Zanten (1990-94) for 17th on the all-time Blue Hen scoring list. Her four assists also moved her into 13th all-time at Delaware.

In the second half Delaware continued how it left off in the first, pressuring on the defensive end and shooting well offensively. A 9-0 run, including seven points by Fisher, gave the Hens the lead at 50-46.

The Hens fully grasped control of the momentum when Tyresa Smith hit a fade-away jumper as the shot clock expired to cap an 8-0 UD run and extend the lead to 60-50.

Kentucky continued bringing pressure, but Delaware handled it well and shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half to cruise to the 16-point victory. The 86 points scored by the Blue Hens were the most since an 87-82 win over Marist on December 22, 2001.

"Beating a top 25 team is a big accomplishment, and it took a total team effort," 11th-year head coach Tina Martin said. "The defensive effort in the second half was excellent, and that was the difference in the game."

Delaware is now 2-2 all-time against the Southeastern Conference opponents and has won its last two meetings against SEC schools. The Hens will face the winner of the Southern Illinois/San Francisco game Saturday at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time in the Odwalla Classic Championship.

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